Journey
by Karshiva
Summary: A half-cat meets a wizard with a moving castle to enlist his help to find out about her origins. She has no idea what is in store for her but one thing is for sure. It will be a journey like no other.
1. Kidnapped

Haru may have done many great deeds in her lifetime without ever asking for a reward, but fate had decided that this brave and selfless girl should receive something for her courageous deeds.

So the stars gave her what her heart desired the most. Her one true love, the Baron. She was given a creation body much like her beloved and could easily shift between cat and human, but found herself liking the half cat form much better.

The dashing feline gentleman who had played a part in her life was very much shocked when he first found her in her new body at his doorstep, smiling beautifully like the day they had dropped her off on top of her school.

Her long dark brown head fur flowed to her back and her brown eyes were like caramel, soft and gentle as they lit up at the sight of him. She wore a soft yellow-orange gown that seemed to glow like fireflies, satin lace gloves covering her dainty fur covered hands and a pair of flats matching the color of her dress.

She was breath-taking.

Baron was ecstatic upon seeing her again and he let her inside for a nice warm cup of tea; a good batch of his special blend.

Toto and Muta were happy to see her as well, though they still picked fights a lot. And on that day, both the maiden and the gentleman confessed of their love for the other and sealed it with a kiss.

After several months of courting, Baron proposed to Haru. Of course she said yes and two months later, they were wed.

King Lune and Queen Yuki were present, along with several other cats and even the brunette's mother was there. Though Toto and Muta had to be on separate sides of the cathedral to avoid disrupting the ceremony.

Everyone cheered when the couple finally kissed and the celebrations commenced. Neither Baron nor Baroness knew whether or not creations could bear children but that was soon found out when it was discovered that Haru was pregnant.

oooOooo

Baron paced the hallway back and forth nervously, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth, mindful of their sharpness as he waited for news about his wife and unborn child. He had taken Haru to the Cat Kingdom for their daughter to be delivered and King Lune and Queen Yuki were more than happy to let them have the finest doctors in order to help the daughter of their two fondest friends into the world.

The tawny cat lord knew that delivery was difficult, but even so, the suspense was _killing_ him! Especially not knowing whether or not both mother and child were alright.

Sitting by him were Muta, Toto, King Lune, Queen Yuki and Naoko, who were also waiting for the news of the child. All of them were nervous, however it was safe to say that Baron was the most nervous of all.

"Calm down, Baron, I'm sure Chicky and the little Chicky will be just fine. Haru's been through a lot, she won't back down that easy," the large white cat said gruffly.

"For once, Lardball is right. Baron, you need to calm down. Everything will be alright," the crow said reassuringly.

"What's that supposed to mean?! You overgrown chicken!" Muta yelled.

"Can't you tell the difference between a crow and a chicken, fatso?!" The cat lord sighed in annoyance, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Toto, Muta, if you would kindly refrain from fighting please. My wife is giving birth at the moment and I am stressed enough not knowing if they are both fine," he grumbled. Both cat and crow paused, looking guilty.

"Sorry Baron."

The green eyed cat lord just waved it off for now, continuing to pace along the hallway. After what seemed like an eternity, one of the doctors finally pushed aside the curtain and smiled at Baron.

"Congratulations, Baron. You're the father of a beautiful daughter. You may go see your wife and your child," he announced.

Baron spared no time hurrying into the room and the sight just made his chest grow larger with love and warmth. Haru was leaned against the pillows, cradling a soft bundle of blankets and on her face was the proudest smile he had ever seen on her. Brown eyes locked with emerald and she smiled.

"Come meet your daughter, dear...she's beautiful…"

He found it hard to breathe as he walked over to his wife's side as she handed the bundle over for him to hold. He looked upon his daughter's face and found tears prickling at his eyes in happiness.

She was a little half-cat bundle of joy; with dark brown head fur that matched her mother's Her fur was a lighter tan than her mother's, more creamy like her father's underside and she had her father's face, her little fur covered hands curled and close to her. The baby made a cute little yawn and opened her eyes to reveal deep chocolate brown eyes that seemed to sparkle and she smiled brightly at her parents.

At this point, the happy father made no resistance to the overjoyed tears that streamed down his face as he touched his daughter, who immediately cooed and giggled at her father's touch. Haru smiled, her own happy tears sliding down her cheeks as she watched her husband cradle their little precious miracle.

"What should we name her..?."he asked, still in awe of the little half-cat child.

"Cheryl...let's name her Cheryl…" Haru whispered. Her husband chuckled.

"Beloved or darling gem...it indeed suits her…" he replied, smiling softly.

"Shall we introduce her to the others?"

"We shall."

Baron called the others in and they all gushed at the sight of the little girl, offering congratulations and they each took turns to hold her, though Toto had a bit of trouble because of his wings.

There was a celebration in the Bureau that night, friends and family offering gifts for the new addition to the group. But the most significant present to the little one was a silver butterfly necklace with sapphires embedded into the wings around her small neck.

A lone shadow watched the festivities from a distance, a small amulet in his hand that glowed with light as he moved it over to the small baby in the arms of her parents.

He smirked darkly, the child had something he needed and he would do everything in his power to have it, if he was to achieve his goal. So he waited till the celebration ended and all was silent in the hidden refuge before he made his move.

He lifted a hand to the door and it opened without a sound, silently moving through the small house to the cradle where the slumbering baby lay. He touched her forehead, feeling a surge of energy and smirked widely. This was the one he needed.

However, the touch had awoken the child, who sensed the ill intent of his and let out a cry, alerting her parents of the intruder.

The cloaked figure quickly scooped up the baby and ran out as he heard her parents awake and he scaled the walls to the rooftops.

Baron and Haru's eyes widened in horror as they saw the intruder run with their daughter in hand.

"Toto! Wake up! Someone's kidnapping Cheryl!" Baron ordered to his friend who woke and swept down to the ground, both parents of the girl jumping onto the crow's back as they took off after the kidnapper.

He was very quick and went even quicker when he heard that he was being pursued. He had spent years traveling just to find this girl, she possessed something that only could be found once in lifetimes. He wasn't going to give her up.

Cheryl cried as she laid there in his arms, begging for the warmth of her parents to envelope her, urging the crow to go even faster.

They chased him till they reached the end of the rooftops but he simply smirked, summoning a portal and with a bow he jumped off and into the swirling gate of magic, disappearing for good.

Along with their daughter.

Toto landed and sighed heavily, shaking his head. Haru sobbed into her hands at the loss of her child; Baron's emerald green eyes saddened as he embraced his wife to comfort her. Then those eyes were burning with fury.

'How dare they...? How dare they steal our child!' he thought, squeezing his wife gently. Haru recomposed herself and shook her head but her eyes shined in determination.

"Baron, we will find our daughter, right?" she asked, looking into her husband's eyes. He smiled and kissed her gently, touching her cheek.

"Yes, we will Haru. No matter how long it takes." He swore.


	2. Cage

_She was minding her own business, walking down the hallways before coming to a wall and stared at it, wondering what it would be like to go out of them as she sighed softly._

 _"I wish I could go outside…and escape from this cage..." she muttered._

 _She was suddenly grabbed from behind, cold hands holding her down as she struggled to yank herself free as another hand covered her mouth with a foul smelling cloth, too overwhelming for her nose to handle as she held her breath. She felt her lungs scream for air and finally she let out a breath and took in another, the scent making her head spin. And before she lost consciousness, there were only four words she heard._

 _"You can never escape."_

A young female woke suddenly, biting back a scream as she blinked three times at the ceiling, letting out a gasp as she panted heavily, her brow dripping from cold sweat as she tried to calm down from that dream. She attempted to fall back asleep, but her efforts were futile.

Cheryl sighed quietly to herself as she rose from her bed, pulling on a dark hood with fake cat ears on it, slipping her own real ones into the spaces before silently walking out of her room to the kitchen.

She moved without sound through the long hallways, her tail swishing this way and that under her cloak. If she made a sound, then the other kids in the building will no doubt make her life a living hell.

In the training facility she grew up in since forever, she was always shunned by the other kids training in magic, all because of her strange appearance.

She had dark brown curly hair that fell to her waist, with matching dark brown eyes. Her fur that ran all over her body was a very light tan and slightly creamy, her ears that were under her hood flicked back and forth, hearing for any possible noise that might signify that someone was up. Her whiskers twitched slightly as she sniffed the air once before quickening her pace. She wore a simple blue blouse along with black pants and a pair of snug boots that fit her perfectly, barely making any sound at all, which she was grateful for.

When she reached the kitchen, she held up a glove covered hand and the door swung silently open to let her in, which she did so. After scanning the kitchen for any life forces that weren't her own, she grabbed a teapot and started boiling water in it, adding some herbs and tea leaves into it while it did.

Once it was done, she poured herself a teacup of the steaming liquid and added some milk before stirring it all with a spoon. She sniffed at it once and took a small hesitant sip, letting it swirl in her mouth and then swallowed. Her eyes brightened up and she drank the tea eagerly, licking her lips once to savor the taste.

 _'At least it's a good batch this time,'_ she thought, pouring herself another cup. She had gotten into a habit of making her own tea blends since Kael let her have a taste of the drink many years ago and it stuck.

She sighed as she leaned against the counter, staring into the light brown liquid swirling in the cup. It had been nearly fourteen years since she had been brought to the facility as a baby. Only a few hours old.

Kael was the one who brought her there, who had pitch black hair and piercing blood red eyes that seemed to stare into your soul and not in a very good way. He ran the magic user training facility here, in an alternate dimension where we could protect the trainees and train them in peace without interference. Cheryl was no exception.

All the kids here had very potent magic, all of them rare and hard to find, which was another reason why Kael didn't want others to have their hands on them. They all knew what kind of special magic they had, but she had yet to figure out just why exactly the man had brought her there for training.

And whenever she tried to approach him on the matter, he would simply brush her off and say that she was being trained for a good cause and that her particular magic was still taking time to develop. It always left her with more questions than answers and it frustrated her to no end. But she was at least proud of one thing; her skill at using combat magic.

She would never say it out loud, lest she wanted to be beat up by the other kids for boasting about her abilities and she had enough bruises and injuries to last her a lifetime, hidden away by her fur. It only added fuel to the fire when the fact that Kael always seemed to treat her kinder than the others was made aware. She sighed and finished her tea, washing both the teapot and teacup before heading over to the training arena.

She entered and immediately scaled up to her favorite spot that allowed her a clear few of the training ring below her. It gave her privacy and prevented the other kids from going up to bully her again. But out of all the kids, she hated Tristan the most. He had a very potent nature magic; able to command the trees and plants to do as he willed.

His favorite past time would be making the vines grab her by the tail and hang her upside down, while letting the other kids use her as a live punching bag and training dummy, leaving her unable to fight back. Kael scolded them when he found out, but it was never enough for them to stop anyway.

It was one of the reasons why she never liked the place, but she couldn't do much while she was stuck in this separate dimension, wondering what the actual one was like. If it weren't for the high walls and the magic seals around the area, she would've gone out in a heartbeat.

She always felt like a caged cat in the facility, an abused one at that. She never felt safe, never had any friends or the warmth of parents and what it felt like to have them. But if that was the case, why does she always seem to remember strong or protective warmth around her? She shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked up at the ceiling of the arena, wondering how the sky looked like from outside of the facility.

 _'I'd give an arm or a leg just go outside of this place and see the real world for just once...just once is all I ask...'_

She was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard the other kids enter the arena, tugging her hood down to hide her face. Not that it was much use; they always knew that she was there in that one spot. Cheryl instead focused on the large screen by the entrance.

Kael would randomize battles for them to train and better their skills. Then it would be down to the final two to battle, then the winner of that battle would go against the champion. It wasn't required but it was better experience than plain old dummies. The half-cat had waited till she honed her combat magic to the best of her abilities before joining.

The other kids filled the seats, waiting eagerly to show off their skills to the others and to Kael, hoping that the crimson eyed man would choose them for the elite group of magic users, which was the highest honor one could receive after intensive and extensive training.

The board lit up and every single trainee's faces were one there, including hers. Then they shuffled randomly before showing everyone's first opponents. Dark brown eyes scanned the board, looking for her first opponent and groaned.

 _'Of course, my first match just has to be against Tristan….'_

Her gaze shifted to the green haired, blue eyed boy, who was smirking up at her. He was obviously glad he had another excuse to beat the female half-cat up and in front of everyone. She felt her blood boil and her eyes sharpened into slits, clenching her gloved covered hands into fists.

 _'Oh I'll show that jerk that when push comes to shove, I'll choose shove...'_

Tristan moved down to the arena with the help of his vines lifting him up and settling him down in the ring, earning a couple of cheers from the other kids. He was the most well-liked of the whole facility so everyone was rooting for him. Cheryl stood from her position and simply jumped off, doing a couple of flips before landing gracefully on her feet, straightening herself and dusted herself off.

She heard all the boos and the jeers from the others, all of them wanted her to lose while Kael simply watched, interested. Well, this will be the day that she would go against what they wanted her to do. She'd win against Tristan today. Plus he was considered the best out of everyone, rumors spreading that he might get into the elites that very year.

"I hope you're ready to be crushed, kitty," Tristan sneered at her, icy blue eyes glinting with malicious intent.

Cheryl simply gave him a calm look as she flexed her hands, shifting her weight from one foot to another constantly, getting into a stance.

"On the contrary, I intend on proving you wrong. This will be day that you fall. I'm not a kitten anymore," she replied smoothly, "and I fully intend on kicking your sorry butt thoroughly to make up for all the times you did the same to me."

"Ooh, the kitty's baring her fangs at me. I am so scared!" he said mockingly to her and her eyes turned into slits.

 _'Why that little...'_

"Let the match begin in 3...2...1...now!"

With a battle cry, both opponents rushed each other, magic blazing in their fists as they prepared to strike the other. The Bully vs The Outcast. The crimson eyed man watched from his post and smirked wider.

 _'Let's see what she can do.'_

 **A/N: Special Thanks to YarningChick who helped me with the plot of the story! Thanks a lot!**


	3. Escape

As they charged one another, Tristan launched the one spell that she absolutely hated the most, the one that he uses whenever he pulls her up by the tail and hangs her upside down by the appendage. She gritted her teeth and growled once before her hands lit with a blue light.

 _'_ _Not this time!'_

She spun around as blue flames surrounded her body and burned the vines when they came in contact, smirking widely when his eyes widened in surprise and shock that his usual trick didn't even affect her at all.

Cheryl jumped and did a couple of somersaults in the air and landed behind him, blasting a beam of magic at his back and he was launched a couple of feet forward, crashing into the ground.

This earned a resounding number of gasps from nearly all of the spectators. Kael just watched quietly with a small smirk on his pale lips. Tristan hopped back to his feet and growled a bit in anger, this was going to be much though harder than he expected. He never expected the cat freak to fight back.

He had to step up his game. The half cat smirked widely at him and moved her hand in a 'come at me' motion, taunting him to come after her. The young boy gritted his teeth and charged at her.

Cheryl did the same and there was a clash of blue and green magic, causing a smoke and an explosion, sounds of combat being heard from the center of the smoke. The other trainees craned their necks, trying to see the action but couldn't from the dust clouds.

When it finally cleared, both opponents were bracing their magic against the other, waiting for the other to finally give in and lose. An image flashed in the half cat's head.

 _Tristan suddenly smirked, lifting his knee before driving it into her stomach, making her wince and keen in pain before blasting a direct attack of magic to her chest and knocking her out._

She was unaware that this was actually her hidden magic finally awakening after so long. 14 years of this bullying and pent up anger were finally worth something. She was confused by the image but the saw her bully smirk and she knew.

As he brought his knee up, she held a hand out and caught the knee before it could come into contact with her stomach and smirked as she saw the surprise in his blue eyed gaze. She disengaged the clash and swung him by the knee into the air and teleported slightly above him.

"Time to eat my dust, you big bully!" she yelled before slamming a magic blast down on him and made him hit the ground, the impact making the ground crack slightly, but not by much. Tristan winced in pain, trying to get up but it hurt to move.

She landed lightly on her feet thanks to her cat genetics and walked over to him, standing over him. The arena was deathly quiet before a loud cheer burst from every single person in the seats, even standing on their feet.

Kael's blood red eyes watched on and he smirked. Finally, her magic had awakened in battle, pent up anger really was helpful in stubborn magic like hers was. Now he could move forward with his plan and chuckled evilly to himself. It was clear that she had a lot of potential, an immense amount of it.

Dark brown eyes glared down at icy blue which glared right back. Then the female sighed, turning to the side and held out a gloved hand to him, looking away from him. The boy stared at the hand in surprise, the third time today before slowly taking her hand. When she felt his grasp she pulled him to his feet.

"Good fight Tristan, you're a great opponent," she said softly before letting go of his hand and simply walked off to exit the arena. She was done here. She had proven what she needed to prove, that she was stronger than him.

She let her feet take her to wherever they wanted to take her to, having no particular destination in mind and sighed in relief at the peace and quiet she received now that everyone else was still at the arena. She was minding her own business when she came to wall.

Cheryl suddenly froze. This was all too familiar. _Way_ too familiar. Her mind flashed back to the dream she had before she woke up and bit back a gasp. 'No way...this is the same event as that dream I had!' She thought before glancing around. She then slowly moved away from the wall, remembering what she said and what happened after that. It was something she wanted to avoid.

Instead her feet took her into the direction of the study, her boot clad feet making no sound as she pushed the door open, shutting it behind her and moved to a small pile of books she had set aside to read from the library. She picked up the first book from the pile and blinked when piece of paper slipped out from one of the pages. Frowning, she bent down and picked it up, thinking it was a page from the book when she froze. She looked back at the page.

 _All the children in my facility have potent and rare magic that can be used in the plan, especially the one I've been telling you about. Once all of them have awakened they can become into the weapons I've been training them to be. We can get rid of them once we are done with them, no one will miss them. However, we have to keep Cheryl alive. She can see into the future, killing her off will mean another lifetime waiting for someone with the same magic to appear._

She stared at the words in utter horror. A weapon...so all this time...she was training here...to be a weapon…? That was why Kael made them use magic for fighting, that's why he never used force to make Tristan stop bullying her, that's why he never answered her questions. And her magic...it explained why she had dreams like that…

' _I need to get out of here...'_

She silently moved the books back into the library, tucking the page in between a book and went back to her room, she usually stayed in there all day anyway so it wasn't out of character for her.

She remembered reading about how to break seals temporarily in a spell book and did her best to recall the incantation as she grabbed a satchel and began stuffing some essentials and belongings in it. A few pairs of clothes, her dagger in its sheathe, a few magic items she'll need to break the seals just for a good ten seconds.

She was afraid of this place now, she didn't want to become a weapon. That information alone was enough to make her want to break out of this place, it was enough to tell her that whatever Kael had in store for her had a malicious intent and she wanted absolutely no part in it.

Cheryl knew it was sudden but she just wanted to get out. Her power had awakened, he would move along with whatever plans he had in mind. That was why there was someone knocking her out in her dream as soon as she mentioned that she wished to escape. They didn't want her to.

She snuck back to the kitchen and stuffed some bread, cheese and fruit into the satchel and ran quickly to the wall, moving her hand lightly over it, using her magic to check for weak spots in the seal. She found one and got out a small red gem, whispering the words for her spell. It would only open for a few seconds, but any longer and the alarm would sound. No human could break through the seals.

She smirked. Technically she wasn't fully human, she was part cat. And cats were quicker than humans. The seal opened and she spared no time getting through and just barely got her tail out when it closed.

She dusted herself off and ran to the edge of the dimension, while muttering a small chant under her breath, this was even more risky than opening the seals but it was just one she had to take.

A crack opened just big and wide enough for her to squeeze through and she ran as fast as she could as she let go of the chant. She jumped…

And sailed right through the crack and landed into a field, rolling and then came to a stop and looked at the blue sky. She panted heavily, taking a moment to process what she had done before she let out a laugh of unadulterated joy. She had done it! The sky had been more beautiful than she had imagined. She pulled off her glove and felt the soft grass and giggled childishly, it felt so nice.

She slipped the glove back on and smiled widely at the big blue sky, feeling the wind caress the grass and her face, ruffling her clothes and hair. She smiled even wider.

She was finally free.


	4. Business Transaction

She couldn't shake off the euphoric feeling of being free for a while, it just felt so amazing. She ran across the fields happily, running as fast as her feet could take her as the wind pushed her hood off, exposing her cat like face and laughed in pure joy, nothing else could compare to it.

After while, she had to stop running and fell flat on her back, feeling the soft green grass against her fur and smiled brightly at the clear blue sky. Then she frowned ever so slightly. She hadn't exactly thought it through about what she would do after she got out, since it was on the spur of the moment.

Shoot. Now what?

Cheryl sighed to herself as she sat up, pulling her hood back up and hid her ears and face. She wasn't sure how people felt about half-cats but if it was like the kids at the magic training facility then they would no doubt shun her for her appearance. She huffed, what was so wrong about being a half cat anyway?

Dark brown orbs looked down at herself and sighed. Perhaps the first order of business was to find a town, figure out where she was, get some supplies. Like a new pair of clothes. She wasn't sure about the currency for the current world, but she'll find out soon enough, she'll just say she was a foreigner, which was the truth in a sense.

Someone would be bound to notice that she had fur, so she'll have to shift into human, if she could. Her cat shifting abilities were unstable, so there were chances that the change would be unsuccessful and she would either be stuck in whatever form or she wouldn't be able to change at all.

Her eyes narrowed as she focused on her shifting ability and took deep breaths. Very slowly, she felt the change as her fur shrunk into her skin and her tail got shorter and shorter, her ears shifting down to the side of her head and became human ears. Once the change was complete, she panted heavily, for it caused quite a strain on her mind and body. Shifting was a skill she had yet to master, which could prove to be quite a problem.

' _At least it worked...'_ she thought, walking over to a nearby lake to look at her reflection. She had slightly tanned skin, her face looking of English descent with dark brown eyes and dark brown bangs brushed to the left side of her face, the curls tumbling to her waist. Not so bad.

With that out of the way, she looked around for any signs of a village or town nearby, spotting smoke trails in the distance. That definitely was a village. Cheryl readjusted her satchel and began walking towards the smoke, looking around as she did so. This world was much different than the dimension she had escaped from.

While the other dimension was barren with no sign of plant life or animal life, nothing but stone walls and wooden doors, this world had plants and animals everywhere. Flowers bloomed in the field a couple of miles away, birds were flying in the sky above her, trees graced the path here and there, with squirrels and rabbits scurrying about in the open. Compared to the other place, this place was beautiful in her eyes.

Eventually after a while, she ended up at the village and looked around, taking in all of the sights and smells, breathing in deeply, looking around at the people, clothes, colors. It was much different from the other place, but in a good way. A very good way.

Looking around, she saw a couple of stray dogs and cats wandering around on the streets with the people and one dog in particular walked over to her, looking up with the most adorable blue eyes she had ever seen and she couldn't help but coo softly.

She slowly held out her hand and the dog sniffed it before licking it. She giggled innocently and petted its soft black fur, earning a whine of happiness, which made the young girl giggle once again.

"He likes you."

Cheryl blinked, looking up to lock gazes with soft green eyes belonging to a young man, who seemed to be in his early twenties with shaggy blonde hair and a bright smile, dressed in a simple tunic and pants along with boots.

"You think so?" she asked shyly back, since this was her first time interacting with anyone from this world. The man smiled at her.

"Yep. Blake only ever goes near people he fancies."

"Well, I'm glad Blake likes me, because I quite like him as well." The man chuckled at her and smiled wider.

"Never seen you around these parts before, I'm Gideon. You new around here, Miss…?"

"Cheryl. It's a pleasure to meet you. And, it's my first time in this village. I'm a traveler," she replied politely.

"Awful young to be traveling alone. But that means you're adventurous. I like it!" Gideon laughed softly and it brought a smile to the young mage's face.

"Could you and Blake perhaps show me around? I need to purchase some supplies and necessities and I'm not sure where the stores are."

"My pleasure, Cheryl. Please, follow me." He led her around the village, showing her around and introducing her to people he knew, all to which she gave a polite smile to, inwardly quite nervous.

"So, what do you need first?" Gideon asked as they reached the market square, Blake padding behind them obediently with his cute little tongue hanging out of his mouth. The brunette looked down at herself, seeing the rather dirty state of her clothes. The ones she had packed were no better.

"Better clothes, these reek," she made a face at that, which made the blonde man laugh a bit at the sight of it.

"I know just the place for them, follow me." He led her to a small shop and entered, a little bell ringing, signifying that customers had entered. A young woman lifted up her head and beamed at Gideon and Cheryl.

"Ah! Gideon! Good to see you again! And who's this little lady you have accompanying you?" the woman, who had purple eyes and ginger hair asked.

"Hello Edith. And this young one is Cheryl. She's new to town and she needs some clothes. A traveler," Gideon replied with a casual grin. Said girl smiled shyly and gave a little bow.

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Edith," she greeted shyly. Purple eyes looked at her for a moment before her body suddenly launched at her and the dark brown eyed girl gasped as she felt arms around her and was being squeezed, a squeal coming from the shop owner.

"Oh my lord, you are the cutest thing I've ever laid eyes on!" she exclaimed.

"C-cute?" the younger questioned as a shy blush dusted her cheeks at the compliment and it only caused Edith to squeal once more. The man simply watched with an amused smile, crossing his arms as Cheryl looked at him pleadingly to get the older woman to let go of her. He laughed before coming to her aid.

"Alright, Edith, that's enough, I think you're suffocating her a little," he chuckled. The ginger haired woman smiled sheepishly at him before letting go of the smaller form, who immediately gasped for air, that grip felt deathly as she hit her chest to get some air back inside.

"So sorry dearie, I couldn't help myself, you were simply adorable."

"Apology accepted. Simply inform me before you cut off my air supply in your death grip," she gasped, earning a laugh from both the man and woman, even Blake made a noise that sounded like a laugh. Cheryl pouted childishly at that.

"Anyways, what can I get for you, Cheryl? We have lots of choices here and I'm sure you'll simply love them! Have a look around and give me a holler when you find something you like, alright dearie?"

"Alright...thank you very much." She turned and walked around the shop, looking at various articles of clothing that lined the walls on hooks. One particular set caught her eye and she turned.

It was a simple set of clothes consisting of a dark blue long sleeved shirt, which had a long cloak that came with it and had small intricate designs on the cuffs. A single butterfly shaped button held the collar closed and the pants were a satin white, along side with a pair of boots. And to top it all off, a hat that looked like it would belong to a musketeer except that it had a fabric made blue rose sewn in place as well.

This was the set she wanted and something about the hat reminded her of a faint memory that buzzed in the back of her mind, just waiting to break free. She shook her head before calling Edith over, pointing to the set of clothes and told her she would like to have them.

"You've made a good choice, dearie. I think they would look simply marvelous on you. Would you like to try them on?"Edith asked.

"Can I?" Cheryl asked eagerly, her eyes twinkling in child-like excitement, causing the older woman to chuckle.

"Of course. There is a room at the back where you can change in." With that, the younger girl made a little squee of excitement, grabbing the clothes and went to go change in them, earning a chuckle from the woman behind her.

She fitted the clothes over her form and very gently placed the hat over her head and walked out.

"How...how do I look?" she asked timidly. She usually had to wear the same clothes everyday, which didn't leave much to wear and she had really wanted a change of wardrobe for a while, since the clothes she previously wore wasn't exactly the best, and she couldn't count the number of times there were rips and tears that she had to fix. Normal tears would be easy. It was the tears from the magic battles that were the problem.

"Oh my stars! You look so cute and sophisticated!" Edith exclaimed, walking over to the girl and hugged her again, gushing over how well the outfit fitted her. Gideon and Blake walked over, hearing the commotion and the man grinned widely.

"You do look nice in that. Great choice!" he complimented, Blake barking in agreement, making the young mage smile bashfully and tilted her hat down shyly.

"T-thank you…"

"Oh, you are just adorable. Tell you what, you'll get this set half off!" the shopkeeper said and the brunette stared at her in shock.

"Oh n-no, I couldn't possibly take such an offer! Really!" she exclaimed, waving her hands.

"Nonsense! Now don't argue with me dearie, I am quite the stubborn character."

Cheryl looked over to Gideon for help but he gave a sheepish grin at the young female and laughed a little.

"Sorry, but when Edith makes up her mind, it's very hard for her to be convinced otherwise about anything."

"Is there at least something I can do or give that could suffice to the kindness that you've shown me?" the young girl asked, looking up expectantly, really wanting to repay the good deed that she had received.

"Well...there is something...but…" Edith trailed off and the girl raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was hesitating.

"Well what?"

"There's a jewel I need to finish up making a necklace for a client, which is supposed to be done tomorrow, but I don't have any money, and the only one close by is in a cave...I want you to get it...if it isn't too much to ask."

"That can be easily done, besides, I do want to repay you somehow."

"But there's a catch."

"Which is?"

"It's guarded by a dragon."


End file.
